Committee on Architecture for Education

Here is an inspiring example of life long learning from a good friend of mine.  Alissa Harrington co-authored an article for the AIA / CAE on using technology in the classroom.  Now she shows how technology can be used as as a learning tool beyond the classroom in her search for answers on how to combat cancer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtjIzxxjIM4

Right now there are many schools that are doing everything they can to keep smart phones out of the classroom due to the perceived distraction they cause. Perhaps welcoming these devices into the classroom would help students think of them more as resources for learning and problem solving and not just texting / facebook portals.

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Brian Minnich AIA
Rubeling & Associates, Inc.
Towson MD
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Perhaps a real world experience would change your view from "perceived" to ACTUAL. And maybe distraction is not the only term to be used. In the real world middle school kids who can take their phones to school as long as they are not seen during class times actually sneak and take photos of test questions and text them to their friends for answers.

A great deal more control is required before phones can be used for learning. Without the controls they are being used to avoid learning.

Kids are not smarter, but more clever than you think.

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Charles Graham AIA
Architect
O'Neal, Inc.
Greenville SC
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Samuel Herpin AIA
Principal
Remson ' Haley ' Herpin Architects
Baton Rouge LA
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 " Perhaps welcoming these devices into the classroom would help students think of them more as resources for learning and problem solving and not just texting / facebook portals."  Brian, this is a good, positive paradigm on how to look at the cellphones and peds - really, the only dart I can think to throw at it is that it relies that ALL students in the class woud have them (cells, peds).

On another matter, I would like to ask any of my CAE if they are aware of any mid to long term studies of the effects of "breakaway?ISD's" on the metro areas K-12 students. 

My location is Baton Rouge, and in the last 10 years, the EBRPSS has had outlying bedroom communities of Zachary, Central, and Baker pull-out to form their own districts.  Zachary leads the State in academic achievement.  There is now another high performing area (SE Baton Rouge) that will be pulling out as well, which will further diminish revenues available to the EBRPSS for competitive salaries, resources, construction and maintenance.  As you may expect, EBRPSS academic performance has been on the slide since these ISD's have pulled-out/been created.

Samuel-

Regarding 'break-away' ISDs, you might contact the District Planning Director at Albuquerque Public Schools.  The issue is complex and folks breakaway for differing reasons.  For example, about 20 years ago, Rio Rancho, a growing bedroom community broke away from APS taking a portion of the schools with it "on down to the spoons in the cafeteria", in the words of one APS board member in a delayed moment of seller's remorse.  I don't know if a study was done on the impact, but it seems that the divorce was fairly successful and probably had a minor impact on student academic performance statistics since the two districts were on the average homogeneous.  A few years later, the poorer southern part of APS was coaxed to secede by certain political players.  I believe a study was performed which advised against and that effort proved unsuccessful, especially when the price tag to taxpayers of secession was calculated.   They would have essentially become wards of the State as soon as they became independent, especially in terms of capital funding.

As far as your situation in BR, I think a potential issue may be social diversity but a complete and objective fiscal analysis of the proposed break should be performed beforehand, especially if the new districts are taking any significant property wealth with them that is taxable.  This should also include the financial cost to the State of LA (and Feds) for dealing with the inevitable statistical academic decline in the old district.
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Andre Larroque AIA
Albuquerque NM
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2013 10:39
From: Samuel Herpin
Subject: Technology used for learning



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Samuel Herpin AIA
Principal
Remson ' Haley ' Herpin Architects
Baton Rouge LA
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 " Perhaps welcoming these devices into the classroom would help students think of them more as resources for learning and problem solving and not just texting / facebook portals."  Brian, this is a good, positive paradigm on how to look at the cellphones and peds - really, the only dart I can think to throw at it is that it relies that ALL students in the class woud have them (cells, peds).

On another matter, I would like to ask any of my CAE if they are aware of any mid to long term studies of the effects of "breakaway?ISD's" on the metro areas K-12 students. 

My location is Baton Rouge, and in the last 10 years, the EBRPSS has had outlying bedroom communities of Zachary, Central, and Baker pull-out to form their own districts.  Zachary leads the State in academic achievement.  There is now another high performing area (SE Baton Rouge) that will be pulling out as well, which will further diminish revenues available to the EBRPSS for competitive salaries, resources, construction and maintenance.  As you may expect, EBRPSS academic performance has been on the slide since these ISD's have pulled-out/been created.